Big Ox Blacksmith Shop.
"Brother Lin, the iron rod you asked for is ready. Big Ox Blacksmith Shop is a century-old establishment in Yong'an City. Their craftsmanship is absolutely top-notch."
Wu Yong led Lin Fan toward the blacksmith shop. Anything Brother Lin asked him to do, he'd get done even if it meant going without food. He'd also been checking on the progress every day, and had been running himself ragged.
"Is that so? Then I'll have to take a good look."
Lin Fan cared a lot about the iron rod. Ordinary wooden sticks couldn't withstand his explosive strength; they'd snap the instant he put even a little force into them. It made hitting people feel clumsy, as though something kept getting in the way.
It was true that once he became a constable, he'd be issued a saber.
But he thought swords were impractical things. They could get stuck in someone's bones when you cut them. Besides, the longer the weapon, the greater the advantage. That was obvious.
With an iron rod in hand, one swing was all it took. No matter where it landed, the other guy wouldn't even have time to cry for his mother.
As for the saber...
It was better suited to intimidation. Rest it on some hoodlum's shoulder, and he'd behave himself.
At that moment, inside the blacksmith shop,
Master Craftsman was polishing a gleaming iron rod. Both ends were threaded in black, while the shaft was silver-white and engraved with patterns. It was truly an extraordinary piece of craftsmanship.
"Master, this iron rod weighs sixty jin. Can anyone really lift it?" asked a bare-chested, burly man. Years of smithing had built him a body packed with muscle, and he looked ready to explode into action.
He'd tried lifting it himself. The rod was so heavy that he could pick it up, but using it as a weapon was another matter entirely. That would be pure bragging. The momentum when he swung it made it hard to keep his balance.
"Who knows?" Master Craftsman replied. "The customer asked for it to be as heavy as possible."
The burly man shook his head and asked no more. As long as the blacksmith shop made money, that was enough. Whatever the iron rod was ultimately for wasn't their concern.
"Master Craftsman, I'm here."
Wu Yong's voice rang out before he even arrived.
Everyone in the shop looked toward him. They knew Wu Yong well; he was from Loyalty Hall at Jili Pier. But this time, he hadn't come alone. A handsome, distinguished young man followed at his side.
They exchanged glances, wondering to themselves:
Could the iron rod be for that young man?
But looking at his build, he didn't seem like someone who could use it.
Lin Fan stepped into the shop and smiled, nodding to everyone in greeting. Then his eyes fell on the iron rod in front of Master Craftsman, and lit up. He really liked its design.
Unable to resist, he walked over and reached out to pick it up.
Master Craftsman was just about to warn him that the rod was very heavy and would be hard to lift with one hand, when his eyes suddenly went wide, as if he'd seen a ghost.
The young man lifted the iron rod with one hand as easily as could be, then weighed it in his palm. The whole sequence of movements looked effortless, as though the rod had no weight at all.
Master Craftsman wasn't the only one left stunned. The apprentices were just as astonished.
"Mm, not bad. A little light, but it'll do." Lin Fan nodded in satisfaction and gave it a few casual swings. The rod boomed through the air like muffled thunder, its force tremendous.
At this weight, combined with his strength, anyone who wasn't a martial artist would be crippled or killed if it hit them.
The panel he'd been born with was pretty good.
His staff techniques and body refinement had greatly increased his physical strength. Especially lately, he'd forced his Beginner Body Refinement all the way to the Great Accomplishment stage.
He'd earned it by taking blow after blow from the rod.
His blood and sweat were all in it.
"Ah! Ah!..." Master Craftsman let out a strange cry. "Natural Divine Strength! This is Natural Divine Strength! I've worked iron all my life, and never once seen anyone wield a weapon this heavy with such ease!"
Lin Fan smiled. "Master Craftsman, you've spent your whole life working with weapons. Surely you've encountered some extraordinary people, some Martial Way experts?"
He hadn't expected to learn anything about the Martial Way from Master Craftsman.
But as a skilled blacksmith, surely he'd come into contact with a little of it, one way or another.
"Extraordinary people? Martial Way experts? What are those? The heaviest saber I've ever made weighed only a dozen jin!" Master Craftsman exclaimed.
Well, then.
It seemed the man truly didn't know.
Master Craftsman didn't look like he was lying. If he were hiding something, there'd surely be a flicker in his eyes.
The Martial Way... the Martial Way.
What could make people conceal it so deeply?
What were they afraid of?
"Master Craftsman, I really like this weapon. How much is it? I'll pay you." Holding the iron rod, Lin Fan felt strength coursing through him. The right weapon could often bring out even greater fighting power.
The staff was the forefather of all weapons.
There was a reason for that.
The apprentices watched expectantly. The rod was made from the shop's finest materials, reserved for its prized pieces, and Master Craftsman himself had supervised its forging. It was bound to cost a fortune.
But when they heard what Master Craftsman said, they were stunned.
"I don't want money. I won't take a single coin—not one copper. I have just one request: would you let me have the shop's name engraved on it? That's all I ask. I'd even pay you for the privilege."
Now it was Lin Fan's turn to be taken aback.
It was the first time he'd heard of someone making a weapon and refusing payment. Besides, he could tell the iron rod had cost a lot to make.
The costs, all added together,
must have come to dozens of taels at least.
"Master Craftsman, are you sure?" Lin Fan asked.
Master Craftsman nodded at once. "Absolutely. I have a feeling this rod is destined to go down in history and make its way in the world. I only want my name on it."
Hearing this,
Lin Fan smiled. He could understand. It was like a historian who wouldn't change a single word, even if it cost him his head. If you killed me, then I'd be remembered for all eternity.
The Master Craftsman in front of him was probably the same.
"All right. I'll grant your request," Lin Fan said.
"Good, good, good!"
Master Craftsman was so excited he nearly jumped like a child. He hurriedly fetched his tools and carved several words into the iron rod.
[Made by Big Ox Blacksmith Shop]
After finishing,
Master Craftsman could hardly contain his excitement. He tried everything to persuade Lin Fan to stay for a feast, but Lin Fan politely declined. Who would mooch an iron rod for free and then mooch a meal too?
After a brief chat, Lin Fan left the blacksmith shop carrying the iron rod. Master Craftsman saw him off warmly and respectfully, calling after him, "Come back whenever you need anything!"
Lin Fan felt he'd come out ahead.
Master Craftsman felt he'd come out ahead too.
Everyone thought they'd gotten a great deal.
That meant a win-win. It was great.
After Lin Fan left,
the apprentices gathered around. "Master, you really aren't taking his money? Wouldn't that be a huge loss?"
"Money, my ass! What loss? I've made a killing! I really have! My shop will go down in history—the Big Ox Blacksmith Shop will be remembered for all eternity!" Then Master Craftsman fetched incense and went to the ancestral tablet in the shop. He lit the incense and dropped to his knees with a thump. "Master, the thing you dreamed of your whole life but never managed to do—I might really accomplish it."
"Sixty jin, Master, and it was like it weighed nothing! This man's future is boundless!"
The apprentices watched their master, overcome with emotion.
For a moment, they looked at one another in confusion.
They couldn't understand their master's thinking, but they respected it.
On the way back,
Wu Yong gazed at Brother Lin with adoration.
Now that was charisma.
That was what you called charisma!
He regretted it so much. Why hadn't he been born a woman? Then he could have offered himself to Brother Lin.
Smack!
Wu Yong slapped himself across the face.
What was he thinking? How could he hope for something so extravagant? Even getting to be mooched off by Brother Lin would be lucky enough.
Lin Fan asked, puzzled, "What are you doing? Why'd you slap yourself out of nowhere?"
"N-nothing."
"Oh."
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